Friday, September 6, 2013

[Review] Volcrian's Hunt

Volcrian's Hunt (Cat's Eye #3)

by T.L. Shreffler


I started following Sora, Crash and Burn's journey last year when I stumbled upon the first book in the series, Sora's Quest. (Side note: if you haven't read my review of the first two books, you can do that here.)

This was actually one of the first self-published author I had read and after reading Sora's Quest, I had a new outlook on indie and self-published authors. Now, it's to the point where that's about all I read. 


So when the chance came for me to get my hands on an ARC of book three, Volcrian's Hunt, I jumped at the chance. Then I proceeded to count down the days until it arrived in my inbox. And when it finally did, I read  it straight through, only stopping for food and bathroom breaks. 

When we left off at the end of Viper's Creed, Sora, Crash and Burn have just commandeered a ship with the help of their Draconian friend in the search of the Lost Isles. Volcrian, the Wolfy mage, is hot on their trail and desperate to find them. 

Volcrian's Hunt picks up almost immediate after that point. Soon the crew finds themselves in the middle of the worst storm they can imagine and they end up beached on a seemingly abandoned island. 

Meanwhile, we also read from the point of view of Sora's mother, Lori, and she and her old friend Ferran search out answer to aid Sora's on her quest to destroy the Dark God's artifacts and preventing the world's destruction. In this third book we have a lot more narrators than we do in the first two. I like this because I feel it gives the story more depth and we get to see a number of different personalities and ways of thinking. 

Also at the same time, Volcrian - who has basically gone bat shit cray cray at this point - has followed the crew on the the open waters and starts to close in on them.

Will Sora get to the lost isles before Volcrian catches up to them? Will Lori find the answers need to save her daughter? Will Sora finally learn the secret Crash has been keeping? 

You're going to have to read it to find out. The release date is set for Sept. 30 so make sure to grab a copy. 

My favorite part about this book is the progression of Sora and Crash's relationship. What I love about this series and how it's written is that the relationship is so subtly done, sometimes you question whether there is a relationship at all. I hesitate to even call it a romance because it's not the typical, in-your-face, romance.

You get to see these small moments where Crash sheds his gruff, assassin ways and he's gentle and almost sweet - in his own way. It's these small moments that I live for. There's only a handful in each of the books but that's what makes their relationship so enjoyable to read. 

For the most part, Crash sticks to his lethal assassin ways without apology. He is what he is. I That's one of the part I love about Crash's character. So many times you see an assassin as a lead character but they almost never actually do any killing or assissin-like things. Not Crash, he makes you remember that he is a killing machine - always was and probably always will be. 

Now, it's come down to rating time. I hesitate to give out 5 stars for any books, because I feel that giving it 5 stars is saying that it is absolutely perfect and there are no improvements to be made. I'm a person that strongly feels there is always room for improvement. But on the other hand even 4.5 stars feels too low and would be cheating to book. 

So I have to go with 5 stars. But if you want to see for yourself, you can always download Sora's Quest for free!

And for anyone who is wondering, I do believe there are at least two more upcoming books to be added to the series, so the story doesn't end here. 

*I was provided an ARC copy for an honest review


Book summary


Release date: September 30th, 2013

Find out more at www.catseyechronicles.com


A plague is spreading across the land. Crops are rotting. People are dying in the streets. Sora, with the help of her magical Cat's Eye necklace, is the only one who can stop it.
She must travel overseas to the Lost Isles, a place of legend and mystery. Only there can she destroy the bloodmage, Volcrian, putting an end to the curse. She is accompanied by Crash, a lethal assassin who once threatened—and saved—her life. But Sora is beginning to question her dark companion. He seems to be carrying a secret; a hidden past that could endanger them all.


Meanwhile, they are hunted by an underground society known as the Shade. For centuries, the Shade has waited for the perfect opportunity to step into the light. Now they are perilously close to resurrecting a Dark God and unleashing a wave of unimaginable destruction. They only need to collect the three sacred weapons, and Sora has already found two....


About the author


T. L. Shreffler lives in Los Angeles, CA. She loves diversity, fantasy, romance, iced tea, long walks, philosophy, and thrift store shopping. She recently graduated with a BA in Badass (Creative Writing) and her poetry has been published consecutively in Eclipse: A Literary Journal and The Northridge Review. She works as the assistant editor for the funky and fantastic Tinsel Tokyo Magazine.


Author and Artwork Links:

Website Artwork: http://www.runawaypen.com/
Website Author: http://www.tlshreffler.com/

Giveaway


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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

[Spotlight]

Brothers of Rock Series

By Karolyn James

With ALL ACCESS, a contemporary romance series begins that explores, life, love, and music. Join the five band members of Chasing Cross as they find that there's more to life beyond the stage.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Jess is caught off guard when a sexy stranger buys her a cup of coffee and asks her to sit with him. He's mysterious, nice, and even though he says the right things at the right time, Jess can sense that there's something hidden about him.*As Johnnie sits across from the beautiful woman, he can't believe she doesn't recognize him. Everyone does. It comes with the territory when you're the lead singer of one of the hottest bands in the world, Chasing Cross. With one more show to go before taking a small break in touring, it feels like luck is on Johnnie's side. That is, if he can find a way to tell Jess who he is, without scaring her off.*After her best friend begs her to come to a concert, Jess finds herself standing in the middle of a crowd. The lights are off, music begins, and the crowd erupts in cheers. She doesn't know much about the band, but that's all about to change. When the lights come on, Jess can't believe her eyes. The lead singer of the band is the man from the café.*Plucked from the crowd during the show, Jess makes her way backstage. The encore may have ended on stage, but the real show is just about to begin. Johnnie's passion quickly turns to romance but the more time he and Jess spend together, the more things get complicated. Johnnie has a big decision to make about himself and the band, testing his loyalty and love for the music, and when Jess's dreams start to come true, she starts to realize that true love exists, but it's not always an easy path to take.


The second book in the Brothers of Rock series is BROKEN SOUND, where lead guitarist, Davey, is faced with life changing decisions involving love, family, and as always, music.


BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Rockstars expect women to show up at their hotel room, but when a woman shows up with an infant and tells Davey he is the father, his world is turned upside down. 


*
Anna is a teacher and part-time waitress, desperate to make enough to pay off debts left to her by an ex-boyfriend who made her life a living hell. When her boss schedules her for an extra shift, he tells her it's her job to take care of a special guest... lead guitarist of Chasing Cross, Davey. The second Anna meets eyes with Davey, she feels something she's wanted for a long time. But with someone famous? That's impossible. Besides, Davey is there with a date.
*
When Davey returns to the restaurant, sans date, he asks to see Anna. She doesn't understand what he would want with her. He is a man with a big heart, kind eyes, and the true power that only a real rockstar could have. Then Anna learns the truth of Davey's life, from his haunted past to his rocky present. Still, she longs to be part of his future.  But when Anna's own past turns potentially deadly, life and love suddenly collide in a way that could hurt everyone and leave someone dead.


Book three in the Brothers of Rock series is BITTER FAREWELL

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
When Danny boards the private jet for his father's funeral, he knows he isn't just going back home to settle the estate.
*
He is going to back to find her... the girl who loved him, the girl who understood his family problems, and the girl he left behind to chase his dream of becoming a rockstar.
*
Liv Cryers is stuck in Bakersville. Literally. She came back hoping to find peace inside her empty heart, but now she's forced to care for her ailing father who doesn't remember her most days. She's tired of being forgotten. The sounds of her past seem so far away...
*
When rockstars come to town, crazy things can happen...



Get it here

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brothers-rockstar-contemporary-romance-ebook/dp/B00BN1P6Z4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364296750&sr=1-1&keywords=rockstar+romance%2C+B00BN1P6Z4
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-access-karolyn-james/1114740506?ean=2940016234175

About the author


Karolyn James has been published over 100 times, reached bestseller lists on Amazon, and writes in both romance and erotic romance.  Her two newest series are the romance hit, Brothers of Rock, and the erotic romance series, Rock Her Curves.

Twitter:  @KarolynWrites
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/KarolynJamesAuthor
Blog:  www.KarolynJames.wordpress.com
Mailing List: tinyurl.com/KJSignup